5 Authors Like Leigh Greenwood

The author Leigh Greenwood is actually the pseudonym of Harold Lowry. He was first published by Zebra in 1987 with his book Wyoming Wildfire.

Authors Like Leigh Greenwood

Since then, he has written the Seven Brides series which typifies his preference for writing stories that are set in the American West.

However, he has also written romance novels that are more contemporary for two publishers; Harlequin and Silhouette.

Greenwood is also known for his Cactus Creek Cowboys book series which totals three books and the Night Riders book series which has seven books.

He has also written The Cowboys books series which contains thirteen titles.

He also has a series of novellas that have a festive focus which were published in the Nineties.

These include Bah, Hambug! and Here Comes Santa Claus which were featured in the book, Christmas Spirit.

Further novellas include Father Christmas which was included in the book Christmas Miracles and A Fairy-Tale Christmas which was featured in the book, An Old-Fashioned Southern Christmas. Each novella may make an ideal Christmas gift.

If you are an avid fan of the books of Leigh Greenwood, you may want to find similar authors. That means you should enjoy the works of authors such as Nora Roberts, Josi S. Kilpack, Teresa Medeiros, Lisa Kleypas, and Mary Balogh.

Read here to find out which books you should look out for.

Books By Leigh Greenwood

The Independent Bride

Leigh Greenwood is one of few male authors to have developed a niche in romance novels, particularly historical romance.

He took his inspiration from the romance books that his wife read and was encouraged to write his own.

Eventually, he joined Romance Writers of America which helped him publish his first book, Wyoming Wildfire in 1987.

His first book is a single title alongside the likes of The Independent Bride, The Reluctant Bride, The Captain’s Caress, Wicked Wyoming Nights, Seductive Wager, and Colorado Bride.

Further titles include Sweet Temptation, Scarlet Sunset, Silver Nights, Rebel Enchantress, and Arizona Embrace.

He is most well known for his series of books including the award-winning Seven Brides, as well as Cactus Creek Cowboys, Night Riders, and The Cowboys. The Seven Brides are namely Rose, Fern, Iris, Laurel, Daisy, Violet, and Lily.

Comparatively, there are nine cowboys including Jake, Ward, Buck, Drew, Sean, Chet, Matt, Pete, and Luke.

There are also four companion novels A Texan’s Honor, Texas Tender, The Mavericks, and Texas Loving.

The Cactus Creek Cowboys series contains three books; To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Cherish, and Forever and Always.

Then there is The Night Riders series which has seven books including Texas Homecoming, Texas Bride, Born To Love, Someone Like You, When Love Comes, Texas Pride, and Heart of a Texan.

Themes: Romance, historical fiction, historical romance

Authors Like Leigh Greenwood

Nora Roberts

The Next Always (The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy)

Nora Roberts was born into a reading family and has written many romantic novels.

She believes she has a pretty good understanding of the workings of the male mind which works well for her romance novels.

She’s a New York Times bestselling author who has written over 225 novels across 40 years. Similar books to the works of Leigh Greenwood include The Next Always and The Liar.

The Liar

Pros

  • Prolific author and it may only take 45 days for her to write a novel.

Cons

  • Some of her books include subjects which the reader may have to research.

Themes: Fantasy, suspense, fiction

Josi S. Kilpack

Forever and Forever: The Courtship of Henry Longfellow and Fanny Appleton (Historical Proper Romance)

For romance and historical fiction from a different location to Greenwood’s, you should read some of the works of Josi S. Kilpack.

Her romance novels center around the 1800s with wealthy families. If you enjoy historical romance involving dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies then consider reading Forever and Forever and Lady Fenton’s Folly.

Lord Fenton's Folly (Proper Romance)

Pros

  • Plenty of sophisticated romance novels and deep character insights

Cons

  • Some criticism is that her books can feel drawn out

Themes: Romance, mystery and thrillers

Teresa Medeiros

Some Like It Wild (Kincaid Highlands Book 2)

Another author that delves into historical fiction involving dukes and duchesses is Teresa Medeiros. She has several book series’ but two of her most renowned books are Some Like It Wild and Yours Until Dawn.

Yours Until Dawn

Pros

  • Medeiros has been known for including great twists in her books.

Cons

  • Sometimes the ending of the book is the best part.

Themes: Romance, fiction

Lisa Kleypas

Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers Book 1)

Lisa Kleypas has written over 20 novels and had her books published in fourteen languages. These books have become global bestsellers and she is also a RITA award-winner.

Two of her most recommended novels include; Secrets of a Summer Night and Cold-Hearted Rake

Cold-Hearted Rake: The Ravenels, Book 1

Pros

  • While some novels may be raunchy in their content, Kleypas has shown growth as an author by featuring gentle romance.

Cons

  • Some of the plots fail to be believable.

Themes: Romance, romantic fiction

Mary Balogh

A Masked Deception

Mary Balogh began as an author by writing in the evenings and her first book,
A Masked Deception, was published in 1985.

She eventually began writing full-time and has written over 70 novels, including Slightly Married, which is the first book of the Bedwyn Saga book series.

Slightly Married (Bedwyn Saga Book 1)

Pros

Cons

  • Some of her novels have been labelled as ‘slightly boring’.

Themes: Historical fiction, romance

Final Thoughts

Leigh Greenwood is known for romance novels, especially those that are based in the American West. Though western romance is hardly a literary niche, it is one that Greenwood excels at.

While a lot of his books center on cowboys and the plains of America, Greenwood has managed to focus in on romance in the territories, even during the festive period.

This can be seen in the likes of his novellas including Father Christmas, which was based in Arizona in 1880, and A Fairy-Tale Christmas, which was based in Virginia in the same year.

Greenwood is perhaps best known for his series of books, rather than the single titles and contemporary novels.

These series’ include the Seven Brides series, The Cowboys, Cactus Boys Cowboys, and The Night Riders. Many of the books are based in Texas so you can expect plenty of romance on the ranches.

If you are interested in historical fiction, especially involving romance, then there are several authors who you should consider.

These include Mary Balogh, Lisa Kleypas, Teresa Madeiros, Josi S. Kilpack, and Nora Roberts. These five authors demonstrate how historical romance seems to be a female-dominated niche.

That Greenwood has become a prolific author in that niche is a testament to how good his novels truly are.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Contemporary Books Has Leigh Greenwood Written?

While Leigh Greenwood is known for his romance books set in the American West, he has also written several books that are considered contemporary.

These include Love On The Run, Undercover Honeymoon, The Winners Circle, Just What The Doctor Ordered, Married By High Noon, Family Merger, and Only You.

What Is Leigh Greenwood’s Most Recent Series Of Books?

The most recent book series to be written by Leigh Greenwood is the Cactus Creek Cowboys series.

This contains three books which were published from 2013 to 2015 including To Have and To Hold (2013), To Love and To Cherish (2014), and Forever and Always (2015).

Anna Davis